Storm stay competitive as Morrow eclipses 1,000 points

INDIANOLA, Iowa — Despite being part of the women’s basketball team all four years at Simpson, Noreen Morrow tallied just 37 minutes in games her freshman year.

Now in her senior campaign, Morrow has become the seventh player in program history to reach 1,000 career points and 500 career rebounds. The accomplishment is impressive, but it’s even more exceptional that she was able to do it in just over three years.

The Storm (12-9, 6-6) traveled to Storm Lake on Jan. 20 to take on Buena Vista (10-10, 5-6). The tough game ended with another loss for the Storm, who have now lost three of the last four. Despite losing 74-62, Morrow finished the game with 10 points, 11 rebounds and two blocks recording her 12th career double-double.

“It’s a huge accomplishment for her,” head coach Brian Niemuth said. “She didn’t play much her freshman year and has worked really hard from that point on to keep getting better. To do that in three years is phenomenal. I’m excited for her.”

Morrow is shooting career highs in field goal percentage this season (60 percent) and free-throw shooting percentage (83.8 percent). She is averaging 14.5 points and 7.8 rebounds per game this season for the Storm.

“To have the combination of scoring that many points and having that many rebounds is a rarity,” Niemuth said.

With an accomplishment this big, Morrow knows it wouldn’t have been possible without putting in the work and extra hours with coaches and teammates throughout her career.

“This was a milestone that I did not reach by myself. It was honestly a team effort,” Morrow said. “I’ve had the help of teammates the last four years, whether it was playing defense against me or getting great passes in games. The coaching staff has been able to put me in such a great position to be so successful.”

Morrow has been making consistent improvements to her game each and every year. Being more aggressive on both ends of the court has been an emphasis for her.

“I would say that I have become more aggressive on both the offense and defensive ends of the court,” Morrow said. “I used to never want the ball in my hands, but now I have confidence to be able to pass the ball around and create shots and looks for my teammates.”

As this season ends, so does Morrow’s playing career. With just seven games left on the regular season schedule, it’s obvious the team will miss having No. 55 on the court next year.

“It’s been fun watching her grow as a player,” Niemuth said. “We’ve had her in the starting lineup for three years now, so I’ve realized I’m not going to understand everything she brought to us until we don’t have her anymore.”

Morrow isn’t thinking about the end of her senior season just yet. She believes there is still a bunch of work yet to be done.

“I can’t wait to keep playing with this team. I have never had so much fun playing the sport that I love,” Morrow said. “I’m really excited to start the second half of conference play. I have really high expectations of what our team can accomplish, and I’m excited to see where we end up.”

The Storm traveled to IIAC opponent Luther (14-8, 8-3) on Wednesday, but fell to the Norse 76-55.

The Storm will look to bounce back against IIAC leading Wartburg (19-0, 10-0) in Waverly at 2 p.m. on Saturday.